Half
by lindam2254
Summary: After their father's death, the Winchester brothers thought they were the only what was left of their family... But that was before they accidentally met their cousin, who so far had also thought to be alone for years. And who unbeknownst to them harbors a dark secret within her; Foretaste of the story I have underway. Rated T for slight violence/language/other Supernatural stuff!


_**Two**_

**A/N:**

**Hey guys, and Merry Christmas!**

**Still, I hope you all reading this will have enjoyable holidays with your families, and have lots of presents to last another year till next Christmas :D**

**This would be the 2nd post of your 3 part Christmas present. This was some kind of an experiment started long ago, to see can I actually write my own character into this world, ergo the story does not start from the beginning. But I'm sure that won't cause any problems. And just for the heads up, this is to become an eventual SAM/OC story, as for my opinion there are far too many DEAN/OC stories. And Sam's my favorite, so what can I do? :3**

**PS: Any questions or other comments you have, plz give me a very merry Christmas too and post them as a form of reviews, so that I can take your opinions into consideration while writing these stories to finish. Thank you!**

**;)**

_**~lindam2254~**_

* * *

><p><strong><span>DISCLAIMER<span>= I don't own Supernatural. Only my OC and the happenings+writing outside the original script.**

* * *

><p><strong>Supernatural fanfic:<strong>

_**(Situated during season 3, before the episode 7, "Fresh Blood")**_

**Half**

_prolog:_

* * *

><p>"Sam!" Dean called out his brother as in a blink of an eye threw a shotgun in the air, over the specter which was hovering before his baby brother threateningly. The weapon all loaded with salt and ready to kick some serious ghost butt.<p>

Sam glanced toward the approaching, flying object and flung himself up from the prone position as quickly as he could after being slammed hard against the wall by their adversary. He reached out his hand and grasped the weapon's handle, loading and firing one salt stuffed ammunition straight into the ghost' chest, it piercing, but also wounding the transparent form as expected. Or so Sam calculated, until the echo of the quick shot had faded and he was still staring at the ghost before himself, it eyeing back at him as hatefully as before. Sam winced. The salt didn't have the usual effect!

The dark cloth ghost just ogled at him with those eyes blazing for anger, from which reflected all that sorrow and disappointment which had caused her to seek vengeance by those murders the brothers had taken upon themselves to redeem. The girl simply stared, her already deceased body made from stubborn thirst for retribution flickering like a TV screen. Until then a horrendous, high pitched scream erupted from her lips, which caused the brothers' blood to freeze, and only after a second or two she dashed toward Sam. Still holding the useless shotgun as a what it seemed very weak protection between himself and the wicked ghost.

And as sudden the attack was, he hadn't had the time to load the weapon for a second try, and was then saved only narrowly by another loud shot coming from the ghost's rear. The girl twirled, or more like flickered around enraged, to face Dean whose shotgun was next thrown to the faraway ground in an instant, before he himself was flung against another rather shaky wooden wall by the specter. This alerted Sam, who witnessed his brother's bad fall.

"Dean!" was his turn to exclaim in worry, frowning, but soon it was his turn also to flit through the air with high speed, hitting another wall at the opposite side of Dean. All air vented out of his lungs as Sam let out a moan of agony, finally dropping to the floor too, his muscles aching.

But neither of them wasted any time for self-pity as their eyes shot up, to eye ceaselessly at the miserable figure standing in middle of the room. And now when he looked, for the first time since the fight against this ghost had lasted Sam noticed something else in her resentful exterior, it as well dripping down those pale cheeks in form of tears. She released a shuddering breath, gust of vapor floating in the air through the parted, white lips.

_"Why?"_ a cold voice asked with the girl's mouth. She sounded agonized. _"Why did you do this to me?"_ the voice continued, the girl now inclining her head as she appeared before Sam. He met her bottomless, empty gaze, peering at him through dirty bangs, until then gasping for fright Sam sucked a breath of air in panic. Feeling how as freezing fingers as the tone of the specter now circled around his neck, squeezing. The girl's heartbreaking, strangled voice caused shivers dance across Sam's spine, her demanding words echoing in his mind as sinister whispers. Her fingers were ice against his adrenaline ignited hot blood rushing under his skin.

_"Why?"_ she asked again, gazing into Sam's eyes even more intensely. Dean's snort mixing amusement and disdain was heard from the background, among numerous grunts as he was trying to force himself off the wall to come to his brother's aid. Sam recoiled as the fingers rounding his neck tightened convulsively.

"I'm not your boyfriend", he replied, a little out of breath as returned the girl's, the ghost's, stare as sincerely as he could in that situation. "Emma… I'm not Trevor."

The girl recoiled too due the sound of this name. She released a breath. "Trevor?" she repeated, questionably, her eyes once again empty.

"No Emma", Sam gasped, sucking in another deep breath before continued with disjointed voice. "I'm not Trevor. You killed him, Emma."

Even Sam knew it to be a fool's chance, he was trying to wake the remaining of the girl's soul still stuck between this world and afterlife, which had caused her to remain here and not pass forward to heaven. Or hell, who knew. But even his reason said no, some part in Sam wished her to listen and understand. Realize her situation. To be reasonable, if you could call a ghost like that. But unfortunately she'd been bound to the world of the living and to her old life too long.

The girl's eyes were now full of pure pain. They had turned their stare down to witness those gruesome abrasions around her hollow wrists, where Sam couldn't at first turn his eyes away from that jagged mark decorating her once smooth neck, this bruise mirroring the sadistic nature of the one responsible of it. The bloody and scratched skin of hers was a sign of betrayal, and Sam was disgusted when he recalled the way such cruelty had bestowed upon her. By Trevor.

"No", the girl suddenly sobbed. _"No you're lying!"_

The color of her voice turned darker, and a light bulb on a nearby wall exploded when her once again merciless, ardent irises rose to grasp Sam's, who still was hanging on the wall helpless, at her mercy. Her hazy figure tremored due grudge which provoked her.

_"You are lying! You killed me!"_ she this time screamed, her tone hardened and full of blind rage. She released her fingers from Sam's neck as jerked backwards, him taking in a relieved, deep breath.

But not long after the ghost's desire for retribution had replaced the pair of chocking hands with rope, it now wrapping around Sam's neck in turn. Dean bolted and started to writhe free from the specter's power keeping him still, cursing and kicking, figuratively speaking of course, as was pretty much able to only barely lift his arm. He called Sam's name and yipped the ghost as bitch among other names, both for nothing, sending several glances toward his shotgun which rested on the floor not that far away. So still in vain he repeatedly tried to free himself under the ghost' control, in the end being only capable to follow from the side as his brother would slowly choke to death.

Sam had grabbed the rope with both hands. Trying to loosen it, tugging it with such force that blood drained from his fingers, turning them as white as the ghost's, gasping for breath with all the time more effort. The ghost followed her victim's languish uncaring, turning her hand tardily to tighten the noose further, each twitch causing Sam to cough. Every time he felt the rope's pressure turn greater, he couldn't stop himself from gurgling while simply tried to breathe. Which became impossible the more that torture lengthened. Dean reacted with each desperate gasp his brother took, thinking it to be his last.

"Hey! Let him go you _bitch_!" he roared again, out of any more insulting nicknames, resulting to one of his constant terms. Wrenching himself even more roughly off the wall, but there he stayed. Like a fly glued to a trap. Neither his hostile words had any effect on the ghost, as the disappointment she'd harbored since her death had numbed the remaining pieces of her shattered, stuck soul, turning them into bitter hatred. And that was all she felt, and she did nothing to stop. She'd killed too many to anymore see the reason why not to.

Sam felt his lungs to be nearly deprived of air, when he once more attempted to tear the blasted rope loose, even it as well was pointless. He was starting to tire out, to see black. The pressure was too overbearing. Sam's eyes started to close when his mind scaled between awake and fainting, him hearing Dean's concerned holler from the distance. But as quickly as his body had started to turn heavy and his consciousness to slip, his eyes now shot open when a new sound of a gunshot broke the oppressive silence. Sam then directing his haggard eyes to gaze over the ghost's shoulder, seeing a familiar form at the faraway doorway. Holding Dean's shotgun, which earlier had flung there in middle of his ass-kicking.

**1.**

It was Lauren who stood there, all covered in dirt, indeed pointing at the smoking shotgun straight toward the ghost. Panting slightly while on her left hand she next grasped a lighter from her pocket. Waving at it. Her eyebrows rose as she stared into the specter's irises, her own tense.

"Forgot something?" she quipped, her gaze never leaving the paranormal being. Sam and Dean had no clue was she actually talking to the ghost, or was she directing some form of a between the lines chaff to them, but the matter got cleared soon enough.

Lauren dropped the weapon and as if waited something, eventually squinting when seconds passed and nothing happened. But then the suddenly baffled become ghost of the girl glanced at Lauren indeed puzzled, next gazing at her hands, until the expected happened and she looked up in horrified realization. Letting out a sharp cry when her frail form suddenly caught fire, it soon consuming her and turning her into ashes, not but a second later her vanishing. All three released a relieved sigh, but now the ghost and her mental power gone, both of the guys got dropped flat back on the floor. Dean cursed due the forceful impact with concrete, but immediately his eyes sought his brother from the other side of the room.

"Sam?" he called out like before, now less panicked but nervously, standing up stiffly as walked to on the floor laying, awfully coughing Sam.

Sam felt great relief when the strangling sensation had finally faded, air flowing in his lungs freely once more. But it was precisely those breaths which caused him to cough like hell. He needed a minute to just even his breathing, the coughing as well to fade, when Dean's worried voice interrogated him.

"Hey, you okay? Sam?" the _ever worrying_ big brother inquired, grabbing Sam's shoulders and hauled him up. Dean hit his back a couple of times, so that oxygen would flow more easily back into his system, but the effect of his gesture was contrary to his intention.

"In fact… Dean, I'd… feel… much better if… you'd just stop… causing by lungs to… collapse", Sam stammered brokenly as a response, eventually rising to his own feet too. His fingers found their way on his neck to rub it, as Dean awkwardly drew back his hands, lifting them up a little.

"Oh, right. Sorry", he said meekly, unsure. But then his rather sullen gaze hit Lauren, who'd been observing them from the same place at the doorway.

"Where the hell you've been?" he demanded in anger, striding across the floor with only a couple of steps and yanked his shotgun from the girl. She lifted a quite sullen eyebrow at him herself, when Sam only directed a quelling look toward his back.

"Dean…" he started to restrain him, knowing what was to come after living through this scene million times over, but was interrupted when Lauren let out incredulous snort.

"If your slow comprehension failed to notice, I was a little busy roasting that ghost's remains for barbecue upstairs!" she replied in irritation, folding her arms across her chest defiantly. Dean made his trademark browlifting, smiling that annoyed smile he wore always while enraged.

"Sure. And in the process you probably broke a nail too, and your lips needed an extra layer of gloss", he continued sarcastically, smirking, but the least amused Lauren now glanced on her right, seeing a certain object and smiling inwardly grasped it. Throwing that small screwdriver at him, causing him to flinch for evident pain. That hit didn't harm him, but would leave a bruise as a memento, which was exactly what she had aimed at to teach that cheeky bastard of a cousin a lesson for gibing at her. No one did that to her. Ever. She sighed deep.

"You should be the expert Dean!" she retorted, her dark brows drawn into a line. "Who'd you think just pulled your asses out of the fire besides me? Or did you believe she just simply burst into flames for having the hots for you? That'd be very probable when it comes to a dolt like you… _Anyway_, while you boys were playing CSI down 'ere, I sought the body of that poor girl and burnt it. Taking care of the problem, without a single broken nail, or a tube of lip gloss needed."

On face Sam's spread understanding, where Dean seemed to have clear difficulties to swallow the same standard of jeering as his from this younger cousin of his.

"Actually princess, I was quite sure about that", he responded, flashing that same cheeky grin to her. "I've always had that effect on women."

Lauren gazed at him totally bored, next rolling her eyes, as then ignored his glitch of personality what she liked to call idiocy. "Whatever… But by the way Dean, I wouldn't recommend for you to use that shotgun anymore. I think it's starting to…"

Lauren was interrupted by a startling bang, all three now gawking at the hole which had formed above Dean's head when the said weapon had fired by itself. Lauren could swear she saw Dean's complexion turn paler, when he directed slightly cautious look at the shotgun in his hand. But soon the as well thin, pierced roof started to whine and creak, finally tearing off, and without a warning part of the upstairs living-room collapsed headlong upon Dean.

Lauren and Sam had just in time hurried for safety to the background, crouching a little for each other's protection, until then the danger was over and they started to eye at Dean's upper torso. Sticking out of a pile of snapped, broken boards and pieces of rooftop, his expression blank and his eyes wide. He too then scanned the late roof on top of himself expressionless, when Lauren then finished her earlier sentence, stepping forth.

"I was going to say the shotgun might need some maintenance", she told him, after all then holding back a gale. Dean's face was worth of seeing, and even it was very close he didn't die, his perplexed demeanor created great amusement in her. But obviously the source of the said entertainment did not agree, and next glaring kicked all the wood and other matter off himself, standing. He was all covered in dust, and annoyed frown causing his brows to drawn into a line he now whisked it away from his shirt, the least cheery.

"And you couldn't tell me that before I nearly got pancaked?" he queried, riled, his face after all still holding that stupefied expression regardless of his ire, as he pulled down his shirt. Sam was gazing at him as well dumbfounded, but still having a trace of smile on his lips.

"How many times are you trying to get me killed today?" Dean mumbled to himself, then starting to dig out the hazardous shotgun from the shambles.

"You should be only thankful that I was unsuccessful, as only a rafter to the right, and an armchair would've fallen on your head", Lauren answered nonchalantly. Sam couldn't hold it any longer but started to laugh, either Lauren not being able to deter herself from snickering after all. Dean looked only sour.

"Very funny you two", Dean said, sneering at his two companions. "I'd laugh too, if I wouldn't be aware of the fact how close I was to become best buds with Wile. E Coyote."

Lauren's brows rose, until she then put her lighter back into her pocket and turned, about to leave. "I'll wait at the car", she told them, having enough of teasing Dean. This time. And even the brothers turned to give her a look, they didn't see her go to the door when she was already gone. Them next hearing the creak of the cellar door at the first floor, it then closing with same kind of creak a second after. But Sam then let out a laugh.

"What?" Dean asked while was fiddling the jammed insides of the gun's mechanism. Sam only made a slight pout, which still reminded of a smirk, shaking his head once.

"Nothing", he replied, amused. And next also he sought his weapon with his gaze, finding it quickly under a certain metal closet and retrieved it, before checked its condition.

"That bitch broke my shotgun", Dean remarked in irritation, by which he actually meant the ghost, not their cousin.

"Mine is fine", Sam announced. He loaded the weapon, and it let out a happy clicking sound when the gun's glider slid in place. The now obvious grin inhabiting his lips annoyed Dean.

"I still have one shot left", he mentioned, swinging the shotgun a little while smiled to his little brother sweetly. Not. "Don't make me go all Johnny Depp on you."

"Alright, alright!" Sam hurried to say, as well his eyebrows rising. "Just cool man, don't blow your skirt."

Dean's hand stopped in middle of a movement, him directing a subtle glower toward Sam, nodding. "Shall I shoot you, or finish the job with that rope?" he asked, turning around to face Sam, looking questionable. But anyone could see how pissed he was. And that only made his brother release another laugh, noting his teasing to have had an effect.

"Okay, fine. Sorry Dean… But it just amuses me that a girl a couple of years of your junior defeats you in your beloved sport of sophistry."

Dean froze, like always when it ticked him off to be left speechless, unable to come up with a striking comeback. And now only his eyebrows rose in turn, his lips pursing. Sam enjoyed his expression and laughed at his brother inwardly, taking in this rare sight with all its uniqueness.

Eventually ignoring Sam's obnoxious stare, Dean then put on his jacket. But due the fast movement a huge cloud of dust spew in the air from it, the tiny motes staying dancing around his head as if taunting him, gauging his patience. He glowered at the ceiling a second or two.

"Right, shall we blow this joint?" he inquired, feigning a smile. But it was more of a statement, to prevent Sam from spouting out any more of his own pedant remarks.

Dean threw the shotgun on top of his workout bag quite carelessly, which still rested on its own place on the floor. He deemed the weapon to be completely broken, so didn't pay much attention to his manner of handling the damaged gun. Not before the moment it once again fired by itself, immediately after hitting the floor, the shot passing not but an inch away from his toes. Eventually sinking into an old washing machine in the corner.

"Dude, you couldn't be any more embarrassing", indeed Sam's rather cheeky voice stated, accompanied by a new laugh before he then followed Lauren's example by going through the door to the stairs, before Dean. Where the older brother now took a very careful hold of the weapon, lifting it and the bag from the floor, scowling.

"You're one to talk. Ghost or not, you almost let a girl kick your ass", he mumbled, to himself of course as then did also leave, tailing Sam back to upstairs where they had descended about half an hour before.

* * *

><p>It had already darkened outside when Sam and Dean stepped out of the abandoned house, being able to detect the shimmer of the pyre Lauren had set ablaze behind it. Lauren herself was as said waiting for them, sitting at the back seat of Dean's Impala smoking, her legs crossed. And when her gaze now saw their familiar forms walk out of the front door, she took one more inhale from her cigarette until threw it on the ground. Using her hand to clear the smoke as put out the butt with her shoe. Dean's eyes widened for horror when he witnessed Lauren release some bitter smoke into the car, not as her intention, as she after all could not control the wind. But he wasn't given a chance to make a scene as she then spoke, nodding toward the cellar.<p>

"Did something happen? I heard your gun go off", she called out questionably. Her eyebrows rising in question too, as her eyes scanned both of her cousins in turns. And because of that could not but note that amusement next take over Sam's features, where Dean only looked away rather bummed. They reached the car in silence, Lauren's gaze following them as she leant on her knee.

"Nothing, nothing", finally Dean did respond. But the way he avoided eye-contact with her and said the answer indeed rather bored made her believe otherwise. And it was Sam who confirmed her suspicions, smirking while leant on the ceiling of the car, exchanging a quick glance with her.

"Dean is just having his manliness afflicted", he told her, inclining his head while gazed at his brother over the car. Dean dismissed his such what else than tantalizing look and went to the trunk, opened it and dropped his bag among all other weapons. Noting that the demon's trap at the hood had some abrasions and needed to be painted again soon.

"Shut your cakehole Sammy, or it's Lauren who's taking the front seat", he replied simply. But then his expression turned quite cheery regardless of the irritation still present in him. "And now…" he slammed the trunk shut. "…I think I want some Chinese. And pie."

The reason for the change in Dean's mood now resolved, the other two just lifted their eyebrows when the said brother flounced over to the driver's seat, whistling. Lauren shut the back door and let out a sigh, rolling her eyes at Sam, who smiled at her when she took a cozy position on her seat. Finally also Dean was in the car and he took out the keys, pushing them into the lock until then he froze, turning his head a little as thought about something, examining his surroundings. But soon Sam saw him wrinkle his nose for distaste.

"The cigarette smell will never leave from these seats", he remarked, his voice's devastated tone exaggerated, this way earning another eye-roll from his cousin as met her gaze through the front mirror. Dean directed brief judgmental stare into her irises, until started the engine and drove the car out of the house's yard to the driveway. And not long after the black Chevy Impala sped along the highway, old Metallica tape roaring in the radio in full volume.

They had gotten a room from a nearby Red Sky motel, and it hadn't been hard. Because only one look at the parking-lot of the said establishment told them there weren't many guests staying there that night besides them. So Dean either had no difficulties obtaining a parking space when he drove the car before the said motel, half broken red neon sign saluting them from the wall, blinking "vacancies" all the time less brightly.

"Finally!" Lauren exclaimed after stepping inside their motel room, sighing. "I cannot even recall when was the last time I got enough sleep…"

Lauren threw her cellphone on the table, followed by the lighter, while Sam removed his jacket and received a beer bottle Dean tossed to him from the fridge. Dean opened his own as pushed the door shut, Lauren sending him an inquiring gaze.

"I can't get one?" she asked, smiling at him radiantly while leant on the table's edge. Dean tilted his head while made a pout, lifting the bottle.

"No alcohol for rookies", was his nonchalant response, taking a swig. "Technically, _you're_ still a minor."

Lauren released a laugh due the sound of this. "_Technically_ I already am pretty much a grown up, but whatevs. You boys order something in, as I, for one am going to take a _long_ shower."

As well Lauren took off her leather jacket, and then it was proven she really was in need of a shower. Sam followed as many grains of soil rained down on the floor from her clothes, creating a pattering sound, as in her galore hair she had twice the amount of dirt. And a moment later she had quite a remarkable mound of earth at her feet when she finally stopped raking and shaking her locks. Neither of the guys asked where she had gotten drenched with all that smutch, but now Dean gave a bored browlifting to the girl.

"It's just soil, princess", he did then remark, in the end smiling again in that cheeky manner as sat down on the bed he'd reserved to himself, Lauren's eyes narrowing as their short exchange of looks lasted.

"Well, you guys might not pay that much heed to matters like hygiene, but I'm not that blind nor oblivious", Lauren said back, then nodding toward the miscellaneous pile of laundry at the corner of the room. Sam and Dean glanced at each other remarkably, their bottles stuck to their lips in middle of their intention to drink, when Lauren continued.

"And we've been on the road three days in a row! Also, as when we finally arrived here and I didn't have the chance to perform any of my normal daily mannerisms, because you kept on dragging me all over town to secure your rears and in the end saving your asses, now, only things I need are shower, food and bed to slump into when this fricking day is finally over", she finished, removing her boots.

"You are right about that sleeping part", Dean admitted. "You might've lost a little of your beauty these last days…"

Lauren stared at Dean's smirking face, one eyebrow tiredly quirked, until after a moment made a laugh, returning the grin as wide. "Actually, beauty sleep wouldn't be wasted on your either Dean. Like I said before, your face had quite a explosive impact to that ghost. And above all, you look death tired yourself."

Sam started to laugh as the bickering pair stared at each other. Lauren was a good verbal adversary when she was in the mood, and once again Dean's expression was very enjoyable to both her and Sam. Lauren flashed one more smile to his stupefied demeanor, until turned on her heels and dropped her clothes to the couch, the shoes ending up discarded on the floor next to it. And she next caused her cousins to experience another short moment of discomfort and embarrassment, when in her usual nonchalant manner she yanked her shirt right off before even reached the bathroom door, walking to it only half dressed. Revealing her bare back which was more or less covered with different tattoos, one to prevent demonic possession like the guys had, and many more the brothers had no clue what they meant. But a second later the guys heard the click of the bathroom door which told them they were free to let their eyes wander again. Truly, Lauren had been with them quite long now, but they still found it hard sometimes to accept her such rash, impulsive behavior. She sure had changed from before…

Despite of the moment of awkwardness, Sam spent another short moment laughing by himself, examining the expression of Dean's he used to have in these situations. When he was left second place, which was like said, priceless to the little brother to see. He noticed clear tension around Dean's forehead area… And now he made the distinctive pout like smile, directing a questionable look at Dean.

"That's it? No cheeky comeback, no any pointed comment?" Sam inquired. Dean glanced back at him.

"I won't fight with teenagers", he replied. "Not my thing to parent those bastards."

Dean plopped on the bed stretched out, placing his other arm under his head until closed his eyes. Lauren had been right about one thing. He was death tired…

"Okay…" Sam said as a response, in consent, but after all shook his head slightly while took a nip from his drink. But then Dean's head rose.

"Hey", he called out, looking at Sam remarkably. "Get us some chow, will ya?"

Sam stared at Dean, frowning a little. "The ghost smashed my phone. With what you expect me to…" he started, but then got surprised as Dean's phone all of a sudden flew through the air, interrupting him, and he barely caught it before also it got trashed while hitting the floor.

"Use that", was Dean's lazy reply from his spot, and then his eyes closed once more. But then he remembered something. "And get some pie!" he added, once more that too cheery expression returning briefly on his face before slumped back down. Sam looked at him incredulous.

"I don't think they sell pie in a Chinese restaurant Dean", he surmised the obvious, frowning, but Dean didn't seem to care nor see the illogicality in his request. Just stayed still his eyes closed, not moving a single muscle for several minutes. So Sam couldn't help arguing but just fetch a catalog from the table with a sigh, calling to the "Three Chickens" named Chinese restaurant he managed to find amidst the pages. He had no clue what Lauren desired for dinner, but deemed her not to be that delighted if he'd go over peeking into the bathroom to ask her order. So he chose the same portion for her as for himself.

Their food took 20 minutes to arrive, and it was Sam who had to pay to the deliveryman, as regardless of the fact that his bed was the one closest to the door, Dean pretended to be asleep. But immediately after Sam had received their portions and shut the door, Dean bounced up and on his feet. Rubbing his hands together as his stomach made the familiar growl of hunger.

"Mealtime", he stated, clearly satisfied. Dean took a hold of what he assumed as his portion and lifted it out of the bag, starting to open it and peeked inside, noting it to be after all wrong one. He grasped another box, but then realized one item was missing. Again.

"Where's my pie?" he asked, giving Sam a questionable look, which he returned only bored. Sam inclined his head.

"Dude, I told you. They don't sell pie in a Chinese restaurant, as you know very well. All they had was some… _wontons_, and I reckoned you not to be that into them."

Dean was silent for a moment until nodded curtly, putting away the plastic bag he had lifted. "Good thinking."

He once more resumed to open his dinner box, now directing a look toward the bathroom door in the process. "Lucky for that girl, water bill is included into the rent of this room. Otherwise she would've already spent every dime in our new account", he remarked, taking the chopsticks into his hand as smelled his food, wide smile spreading on his lips. Sam lifted his eyebrows.

"You must mean Mr. Stevenson's account", he revised. It was Dean's turn to lift his brows in indifferent manner, turning his attention back to the food.

"Beijing's hot Chicken stew", he said simply and took another whiff of the spicy portion. "Sweet."

Dean strode back to his bed and sat down. Starting to consume the Chinese cuisine so fast that it seemed to Sam as if his brother hadn't had anything to eat for weeks, him gobbling down the food as quickly as it was possible with chopsticks. Actually Sam gave him some form of a credit for such an act. Well, typical Dean. He was always like that when he ate… Sam sighed, opening his own portion's box.

After all he didn't start to eat, but stood before the sink for a while. Dean took a notice of him as saw him touch his neck, where bruises resembling the rope had started to appear.

"You sure you're ok?" Dean asked, his mouth half full of food. Sam gasped awake from his reverie, lifting his gaze from the carpet's old sauce stain to Dean.

"Yeah, I think so. My neck's just a little sore, that's all", he told him, dropping his hand. Dean nodded, but then continued.

"What was going on with you back there? You let that ghost come at you fully."

Sam turned pondering as sat down with his steaming box of food. Staring to the ceiling, until finally responded. "I don't know, Dean. I guess I… felt too sorry for that girl", was his pensive answer. Dean let out a snort.

"Well, I pity her not a bit. She got what was coming to her, if you ask me."

"Maybe so, but it wasn't her fault Dean", Sam protested. "She was just a young girl…"

"Precisely. She _was_. She was dead, so she didn't exactly have the right to poke around people's lives", Dean countered, then snorting again, until stuffed some more food into his mouth. "Or wives."

Sam realized Dean's tacky reference. The first person who'd become Emma's victim had been Trevor's current wife, Annabelle. But still he did not totally agree with Dean in this one.

"Dean, Emma was innocent", he insisted, turning to his brother. He looked back at him eyebrows raised.

"Emma? So what, now we're speaking on terms with monsters? …You've turned soft."

"Maybe so, but listen… I know that what Emma did wasn't all that good, but she herself was. People's actions don't always speak for themselves."

"Well, she cannot actually be included into the group "_people_" now can she?" Dean remarked rather sourly, Sam blinking for surprise even he then fathomed it to be true. "Whatever man. She is dead Sam. And what is dead stays dead."

Sam heard him, but as then continued himself he had quite confident look on his face. He'd had time to ponder about this more than he maybe should've. "Think about it Dean", he dared after all, causing Dean to look to the ceiling due frustration. He drank some ale as almost let Sam's words enter through one ear and then exit out of the other.

"She did those murders just because she was sad herself. Betrayed. The way she died was unforgivable… That jerk who did her in deserved to die…"

"But that still didn't give her the right to do Sweeney Todds to those people", Dean replied indifferent. "Pity her all you want, but it's been proven that eye for an eye tactic never works. At least when it came to her, as she got her insides torched. Karma's a bitch."

Sam listened Dean's argument in disbelief himself. It was sometimes challenging for him to believe that this "strictly business", cold-blooded hunter was his brother.

"I admit, she shouldn't have killed all those innocent people… But Trevor had it coming. Like you said, and have you forgotten how we ended up to this situation? Trevor murdered her, Dean. And then continued his life, married, letting her memory to fade into oblivion as if she never existed. I now she isn't fully innocent… But I won't blame her completely either."

Dean stayed silent. He played around with the food, the chopsticks moving it around as his eyes turned to observe Sam from time to time. He truly had thought about this case more than was necessary, in Dean's opinion. Well, it had always been one of his faults… Being too emphatic. Though Dean couldn't deny that there had been some kind of a point in his argument. Anyway, Dean saw from Sam's expression that this "Emma" ghost had gotten him suddenly upset. Big time. And he now followed as Sam's eyes fell back on the floor.

"It must've been horrible", he mused after a moment of silence. He stared at the worn out places of his jeans in some kind of a daze. " I cannot even imagine how it must've felt like. To notice a person you love, to whom you trust more than anyone, to whom you believe in more than anyone, not to be someone you thought before. When Trevor after all those lies broke Emma's trust by taking advantage of her, and in the end by torturing her both mentally and physically before finally murdering her… I just cannot understand how it can be possible that while all that evil we hunt is out there, still such sick bastards like Trevor can already be found simply among humans…"

"I can."

**2.**

Both of the guys gasped due the sound of Lauren's sudden voice, and they turned to look toward the girl standing at the bathroom door, now closing it after herself. She looked surprisingly serious when she walked forward, drying her hair with a towel, her gaze directed on the floor.

"There are far more repulsive things out there than demons", she continued tensely, exchanging a remarkable look with each of her cousins. Dean looked irritated.

"Could you quit sneaking around?" he inquired her, his eyes narrowing. Lauren only cocked her shoulder at him indifferently.

"One would think you to already have gotten accustomed to it", Lauren responded curtly, now fluffing her black curls until took some of them into her hand, examining them to try to see were they in need of cutting. Sam instead examined her demeanor and thought about her earlier words, them making him contemplative again. He followed Lauren's actions, trying to understand the meaning behind her odd words, when she then walked to the window and gazed at the moon outside, full by the looks of it, which had just appeared behind a curtain of clouds.

The pale light of the full moon created stripes on Lauren's already wan complexion while streaming in through the Venetian blinds. She sighed, turning her irises from the big white globe down, once again speaking.

"I understand that girl. All that pain, feeling of betrayal and hate… How easily love, which should be the purest of all things, can blind you so that you cannot notice its filth soil you. How deceitful all that you thought as good truly is. If it had been me… I would've done exactly the same as she did."

Sam noticed that same, already familiar become sorrow take over Lauren's face. And there now was something dark in her. In her eyes, in her expression. Her whole exterior turned somewhat gloomy as she stared at the faucet stubbornly, her fingers then starting to squeeze the sink's edge so tightly they turned white. He frowned for confusion. What was with her all of a sudden? Sam couldn't fathom this odd sorrow often displaying on her usually so well guarded face. Was it because of the way she had become one of those repulsive beings herself? He didn't know, but wanted to. It was just that Lauren's overall so radically changed personality prevented him and Dean from asking her straight what was going on with her. As something clearly was up.

Lauren was leaning against the table, her hands still squeezing the edge relentlessly. Both of the brothers noticed the tension in her, but from the two it was Sam who was truly bothered by the matter. How was it possible that such a happy and sweet girl he remembered her as had become this sad, bad-tempered, her true personality locking and hiding person? Or maybe "person" was the wrong term. And possibly the exact answer for that question. After all, Lauren was not completely human anymore…

The fallen silence was then cut by Lauren's low laugh. "But of course I wouldn't kill innocent people while at it", she added, now finally flashing that rarely seen, her true smile. "I mean nowadays I wouldn't."

Sam gauged Lauren's face once more. That shade of grief was once again concealed from sight. But his further observations were denied by Lauren, who turned her head to gaze at Dean.

"You look shocked Dean", her voice continued, finally also interrupting and cutting Sam's quite inconclusive train of thought.

Dean looked up at Lauren. She smirked.

"Did you really think me to have snapped?" she asked him, snatching her own remaining portion from the plastic bag. She opened the box, and after a fraction of the second she made a face. "Pork? Really?"

"The big right down the hatch, princess", Dean said, munching his chicken at the same time, the amount of it between his jaws making him look like a chewing cow. Lauren was close to laugh for this thought, but managed to hold herself at bay when Dean then released a loud, long belch. Both Lauren and Sam quirked their eyebrows at him, where Dean simply wiped his mouth and took one more swig of beer to wash the last of his food down. Until then he dropped back on the wrinkly sheets, relaxed.

"Better eat up. There'll be no fake blood for you to sip", he stated to Lauren, smiling slightly in the end. She feigned a smile.

"Funny", she replied, sneering. But into her eyes then appeared a gleam which told Sam everything, no word needed to tell him how hurt she had been by Dean's last remark. But then he saw something else, that gleam turning into a twinkle of amusement and he once again could predict her thoughts, him now leaning back in his chair while followed Lauren's actions. Small smile twitching the corners of his lips.

Lauren approached Dean, walking slowly, then finally when beside his bed then leaning as close to him as could undetected. His eyes were closed again so he could not see her there, and that was exactly where the joke laid. She smiled rather nastily.

"Personally I'm more into quality goods", she told him, quietly. Dean didn't react at first, but that predatory tint suddenly edged into her voice made him wonder. And noting this, Lauren's smile turned into satisfied smirk. She stared at Dean's closed eyelids, closely, feeling his rather delicious scent fill her conscious. She leant closer.

"In fact now when I think about it, I am very thirsty", she added, her voice only a menacing whisper.

Sam hold back laugh. Of course Lauren wasn't serious, but luckily Dean didn't know it to spoil the joke. And so his eyes now shot open in slight shock and he stared deep into Lauren's brown irises, having her half on top of him and eye back at him above him. And from her gaze he indeed could now see one certain thing. Hunger. Gnawing hunger. Of him. The usual adrenaline kicked in, made his hunter senses trigger and his heart started to beat faster when he returned his cousin's endless stare.

Dean's hand next automatically inched toward the knife hidden under his pillow. Due this Lauren grinned again and leant even closer. But just as Dean was about to pull out the weapon to possibly use it, Lauren placed her rather strong hand on his wrist, deterring him and smiling down at him only in great amusement. Then laughing. And for Dean's dismay she next used her free hand to stretch even further forward, but not to take a hold of him but to grasp his beer bottle form his nightstand, then straightening and taking the bottle into her possession.

Lauren leant backwards, glancing between the frozen Dean at the bottom of the bed and Sam sitting a small distance away, who had moved forth to sit at the edge of the chair to see what she'd been up to. Lauren scoffed.

"You guys need to relax a little", she stated, to both of them, making a bored browlifting when then lifted the bottle on her lips. Drinking the rest of Dean's beer in one gulp. Dean looked quite sour again, shoving the knife back to its place while leered at Lauren.

"It's kinda hard to relax when you have a vampire as your roommate", he stated, indeed grimly. Lauren lifted her brows as looked down at him.

"Half."

Sam couldn't hold back his amusement any longer but released a laugh, gazing at Lauren. "I already thought you were serious", he remarked sarcastically. Lauren gave him a matter-of-fact look back, shrugging.

"I was", was her sincere response, and she waved the bottle a little. "I was thirsty, and it seems this isn't even that same cheap bottled crap you usually drink. But _god_ how bad this is regardless."

Sam smiled as she turned up her nose, staring at the bottle until put it back on the nightstand, standing and returned back to her box of Chinese. Lauren answered his smile with a questionable stare.

"Haven't you come to know me yet at all?" she queried. "Do you think that after months of, no, _two years_ of fast I all of a sudden would slip back to the dark side? Then you have still lot to learn about me, boys."

Dean glanced at Sam unsure expression taken over his features, rising to lean on his forearms. "You can never be too careful. Look what happened to Skywalker", he said then as a joke, but after a moment of staring Lauren only dropped her gaze into her food. The smile had faded from her lips, her being once again her gloomy self. She soon frowned in irritation, placing the box on the table next to her, suddenly losing her appetite. And both of the guys realized the change in her mood, having seen it before.

"Hey", Dean called out to her, as well standing. "I didn't mean…"

"Fuck you Dean", Lauren retorted pointedly, her temper once again flaring as she directed a dangerous glare at Dean, causing him to flinch. Yes, he had hit a nerve. Deeply. Lauren was suddenly fuming and she shook her head slightly.

"You indeed know shit about me, so you'd better keep your fricking Star Wars references to yourself!"

Lauren dug out a cigarette, next taking her lighter into her hand and soon releasing the first smoke cloud into the room. But then her risen anger was soothed by something, which Sam saw once again in her eyes when they stared away from them. Into emptiness.

"Well how can I actually blame you for your fear when it's after all true", she remarked, her voice dark. Sad. She took another inhale, but now even smiled blue. "You are right Dean. You can never be too careful with the likes of me."

It was clear she hadn't taken Dean's words as a joke he had intended them. And actually he now regretted to have such a big mouth at some times, when he stared at Lauren with Sam. Scanning her profile as she smoked in silence, not bestowing them a single look for a long time, until her cigarette burnt out and she dumped it in the ashtray.

"Lauren", Dean started again, taking a step forth, but was once again interrupted by now much calmer Lauren.

"You don't have to worry about me", she told them, meeting their gazes briefly until hers once again descended to the floor, her speech pausing. "Besides… if I would ever lose my self-control, I'd get as far away from you as I could. Many enough people have already died because of me."

Lauren's lips quivered when she said that last phrase, her voice somewhat lifeless. But before the brothers could detect the fear mixed sorrow slipped on her face, Lauren took a hold of herself and locked these feeling away. Shoved them deep within inside her, into the deepest, dark part of her soul where no one but she was able to find them. She swept her gloominess away with a somewhat smile. But as she then took another cigarette and lit it, it was Dean's turn to turn up his nose when some bitter smoke flew in his direction, causing him to cough.

"Can't you do that outside?" he inquired from her, once again irritated himself. "The smoke's going to stick."

"Screw you Dean", Lauren replied, but now more good-humoredly, though it was obvious she almost ignored him. Dean followed her smoking a second or two and then had one of those cheeky faces on.

"It's a good thing you can't die for cancer, but how many of those are you exactly going to smoke? Are you an addict?" Dean said, finishing with a tainting query. Lauren rolled her eyes.

"This calms me", she told him, Dean inclining his head remarkably.

"Says the addict."

"Would you please stop bitching about my smoking? It makes you sound like one", Lauren retorted once more, her eyes narrowing until she then released another smoke cloud from her lungs. Straight onto Dean. She smiled in amusement when he started to cough again, now his temper rising.

"Then go and get yourself a full throat of goo, but do us a favor and let us pass the opportunity", he stated, waving the smoke away. Sam as well now rolled his eyes. "Passive smoking is as bad for people."

"God!" Lauren exclaimed, then sighing and eventually put out the half burnt cigarette, giving Dean a slight leer. "Calm down, you make yourself a fricking drama queen for nothing! I'm going."

"Where?" now Sam spoke as saw Lauren abandon the ashtray, walking toward the front door. She didn't look at him while answered.

"Just to get some fresh air."

"In that outfit?" Dean remarked questionably, Lauren's hand stopping on the door handle. She could feel his eyes wander around her and eventually stop to stare at her rear, her then sighing in frustration and glancing at her own clothing as well. T-shirt and shorts. Well yes, not maybe the best to wear while going to a late evening stroll in early fall, but in the end what difference did it make? At least it didn't to her. Dean was just being a jerk like usual, in a way only he could be. But she just had to get out of that room. Away from them and their blasted curiously examining stares, trying to see past the wall she had shielded herself with.

And so without saying a word she now left the room, the guys following how she vanished in a blink of an eye, the door locking after her.

Sam frowned. "Do you think its wise to let her go out there alone?" he questioned from Dean, giving him as well an inquiring gaze. Dean snorted the least worried.

"Believe me, she'll be fine. More than fine. She's got one extra row of teeth as her ace, so nothing else than her rash behavior can threaten her safety", he answered, then letting the matter slip out of his mind. But he did then let out a couple of curses as complained about the cigarette smoke all over the room, eventually dropping to the bed in slight foul mood.

Sam sank into his thoughts for a moment, until happened to glance at the door again. "What you think is going on with Lauren?" he asked again, Dean now as well breaking off from his train of thought and he started to ponder this himself. Not coming up with anything.

"What'd you mean?" he asked back instead, turning his head a bit toward Sam.

"You saw it yourself just now didn't you? Her face", Sam clarified, looking worried. "And the way she just flipped all of a sudden. She always acts like that when it's about her…"

For some reason Sam couldn't finish his sentence, as his mind once again was filled with same questions which had bothered him for months now. What had happened to Lauren to make her change so much? Dean dwelled on this matter for a short moment until came up with an answer.

"That's exactly what I've been thinking", he admitted then, his expression then turning less serious due worry as well. "That isn't what she used to be years back. She's different, very. But I reckon all this rebellious, teen tantrum crap she's putting up has pretty much a lot to do with the death of her family."

Sam had a realization and he felt a sting of pity in him. Yes, she had lost her family too.

It had been ages when he and Dean had last visited Lauren's house with their father, back at the time to celebrate her 12th birthday. He and Dean had learnt some years later from their father that Lauren's family had been found murdered from their house, but only Lauren hadn't been among to dead. Their father had suspected that their death hadn't been the work of any normal robber like the police believed, as like the brothers' mother, also their uncle Ethan ergo Mary's brother, Lauren's father, had been raised in a family of hunters. And hunters always had something coming at them, especially if they lived pretty much a normal live at a suburbia like Lauren's family had.

But even the brothers' father had tried to find out what had happened that night in Ethan Campbell's house, there was nothing to find to tell what creature had been responsible of the killing. And so also the three of them had only known Lauren to have vanished mysteriously the night of her family's death, until also some years later Sam and Dean had stumbled upon her on a hunt. And since that day she had traveled around States with them, working on cases. But she hadn't yet revealed them anything of her life after the murder of her family, and rather her cousins hadn't dared to ask about it. Reckoning it to be something unpleasant for her to talk about. And neither had them inquired of the way she had become a vampire. _Half vampire_ like she said, as strange as it was. But when Sam now reeled all this in his mind, and thought about the happened change in their younger cousin, he realized that from those faraway childhood days it indeed had been years since that one birthday party when Lauren had been a totally normal, happy young girl.

"I've always felt wrong that our mother was taken from us when we were young. But Lauren was robbed of all her family at once. I can't understand how she has deserved her current life, Dean", Sam said then, a little sad himself, talking for the first time for minutes.

"I'd wish I knew Sammy", Dean replied. "But it must be tough to live forever without a single person to call a family. But even the two of us are just that to her now when her parents and brothers got whacked, neither can we life forever like she can."

Soon the two hunters got to bed. And while Dean was deep in sleep, snoring loudly, Sam still remained awake. Staring at the ceiling, as it was the only thing he could do now when his thoughts didn't let him have a closed eye.

At first he'd been concerned when Lauren hadn't returned from her trip for fresh air after two hours of time, but then his mind had drifted back to the mystery surrounding the said girl.

Sam started to come up with a possible explanation to Lauren's constant broody state of mind, not succeeding. He neither managed to come to fathom what had changed the happy girl he remembered so thoroughly, as it couldn't be all caused by her personal loss. Also he and Dean had lost their dad not that long ago, but they had gotten over it and weren't same kind of messes like Lauren was. Because that she evidently was. A true mess, which neither of her cousins could understand. And the least Sam when he now tried to understand her. But after all giving up he then sighed deeply.

_She doesn't even smile the same way she used to in the past_, he thought while returned back in time some years once more, recalling a certain moment in the past, before his inevitable surrendering for sleep which made his eyelids weigh like led. And so, not at all more clear minded about Lauren he finally fell asleep. As well returning back into the past in his dreams.

* * *

><p>Early in the next morning the guys found Lauren sleeping inside the Impala. And even more than her odd choice of place to sleep, they got surprised by seeing her fully dressed, her hair and make-up also already done like usually, even they hadn't at all heard her to have returned from her nightly stroll. But quickly they dismissed this perception, and Dean leant down. Knocking the window once, loud.<p>

This caused Lauren to gasp awake and she lifted her head from her arm, which had worked as her contemporary pillow, glancing up at her cousins faces peeking through the window. And then yawning she sat up stiffly, opening the door's lock to get out.

"Morning", she wished, standing. Sam wished the same smiling, then directing incredulous glance toward the car before once more examined Lauren.

"Were you out all night?" he queried from her. She flashed one amused smile.

"What, were you worried about me?" she asked back, eyeing at the guys, until lifted a brow. "No. You were already sleeping when I got back."

"Where were you by the way?" now it was Dean's turn to inquire, as well a bit interested. As now when he stood close to Lauren, as well measuring her composed exterior, he could separate that faint scent of alcohol which lingered on her. But she simply just shrugged at him, bypassing his question.

"Nowhere really. Just ambled about", she told him, lied. As in truth she had sat of a roof of a nearby church after breaking into a small convenience store, a bottle of whisky keeping her good and faithful company whole night, all the way to the morning. And she almost never drank. But regardless of her white lie, Dean had caught a whiff of the truth, though did not question her offered excuse. Just stared at her in doubt for a moment, gauging her, until let it go.

"We came to ask you to tag along for breakfast", he said then instead, going to check that the other three doors of his baby were securely locked. Lauren sighed, indeed feeling her stomach to make a agitated rumble due the mention of food. She had missed the dinner after all…

"Perfect", she stated with a smile, imagining the taste of freshly baked scrambled eggs with delight, as slammed the remaining open door shut maybe a bit too forcefully. Dean's reaction was expected as he jolted.

"Careful", he hissed. Lauren gave him the usual bored stare, inclining her head as then lifted her hands up.

"Sorry."

She started to walk toward the diner small distance away from the motel building, while Sam directed a browlifting toward his brother as saw Dean now gaze at the car like always, almost adoring, and smoothed its hood tenderly. As if it were a beloved family pet. Well it was his beloved for sure… One thing Dean loved equally as much was only pie… But as Sam then shook his head to these thoughts, still not being able to comprehend Dean's sometimes overboard relationship to that car, Lauren's voice captured the guys' attention.

"Are you coming or what?" she shouted, turning her head a bit questionably while made a small spin, still walking, giving her cousins as enquiring look until her back was to them again. And not but a second after both Sam and Dean followed her steps, now all of them walking toward that hive of fried goods.

Inviting scent of coffee and the said greasy aroma of bacon and eggs floated into their noses as they stepped inside, that usual small bell chiming their coming. The place was rather full regardless of the fact that there were almost none guests at the motel, but the three managed to find a table for themselves from the faraway back. Lauren stopped stretching her aching limbs not until they reached the table, sitting down. And this caused Dean then come up with something typical for him.

"Tough night?" he questioned, at first quite indifferent looking, but his voice then turned rather hinting as a smirk spread over his lips, him bestowing as well allusive glance to Lauren behind his menu. She got his hint, but like always didn't feel like concerning herself by his annoying remark, and simply only inclined her head while as well skimmed through the different portions offered for breakfast, turning the menu.

"Well, the backseat of your car isn't really a featherbed", she replied. "My whole body is stiff and full of knots because of that."

"Wow, no details!" Dean stated, his gaze rising. Lauren squinted.

"You're an idiot, Dean", Lauren retorted, hedging her shoulders with a slight leer. "You're more interested about my nightly ventures, than the fact what is it exactly that I do in your car."

Sam let out a laugh after listening their usual bickering, as well now turning a page of his menu. Dean stared back at Lauren silent for a moment, speechless, until gave his little brother a silencing look. And now he lifted a fork, pointing it at Lauren to stress his following words.

"Lauren", he started, his voice tense. "Let it be the last time you ever break into my car."

Lauren said nothing, but once again lifted her hands up as a sign of consent, when then a waitress arrived to take their orders. And within half an hour they received their portions, them eating mostly in silence, each fallen into their own thoughts while the murmur of other customers filled the space instead.

Sam finished his breakfast the quickest, and habitually took out his laptop to check where there anything observable to look into. And soon Dean asked the question while munching away his sausages.

"Anything?" he queried after 15 minutes of Sam's internet surfing, mouth full of his toll-free second helping. As well Lauren gave her cousin a questionable look from the corner of her eye, finishing her coffee. Sam frowned.

"Not really… There has been some cattle killings in Texas, and in Michigan three people have vanished… But that's pretty much everything", he answered, lifting his eyebrows as scrolled the page he'd been examining up and down a little. Dean put another sausage in his mouth.

"Anything off in those disappearances?" he asked, drinking some juice. Sam clicked open the police database.

"Maybe, um… here it is. The police reports say that from the two of the vanishing locations blood was found, presumably the victims', but not so much that I'd believe some supernatural thing being behind those disappearances... But look at this…"

Sam inclined his head remarkably as his eyebrows rose once more due a discovery he'd made, Sam now turning the computer to face Dean and Lauren, who dropped their eyes from him to the screen. Sam pointed at the bottom of it, at a certain mention in another report.

"Already six people have been found dead in a week", he informed them, both Dean and Lauren's eyebrows rising, until both of them read the report, seeing some photos of the said victims.

"Where?" Dean asked.

"Albany, New York. The majority of the victims were sucked dry from blood", Sam answered, turning the computer back to himself to read more about these cases. Dean frowned as well.

"Vampires?" he suggested, thought it was pretty obvious. A stack of bloodless bodies were a pretty clear cue of vamps. Sam nodded.

"Looks like it. Police found bite marks from the bodies, so the deaths were regarded as some bizarre animal attacks", Sam said as response. Dean tilted his head.

"As always", he stated, then making a face. "Nasty dicks", he mumbled, skewering another sausage, until then remembered Lauren to be sitting right next to him, hearing him. But surprisingly she didn't seem to be paying any attention to his comment, though usually she would've lashed out at him, this time only staring blankly forward. Dean frowned now for confusion, until Sam's voice woke his attention. Sam looked odd as continued.

"Though I'm not fully sure Dean. This case isn't as simple as it looks… These seem like vampire kills, but there's something off here. It says in the reports that the bite marks were rather ragged and the victims' flesh was badly ripped, the lethal gashes focused mainly to wrist areas. As if the ulcers had been made by claws instead of teeth. So that wouldn't be odd if these deaths were the work of a rogue wild animal, but what vampire kills by clawing their victims open? It doesn't make sense."

Lauren had stayed silent this whole time, listening, but now she suddenly bolted. The brothers gave her an odd look as some of her remaining coffee now spilled on the table due her violent gasp, her then turning around in a flash to look at Sam.

"Show me!" she exclaimed quickly, somewhat strangely agitated all of a sudden, then perplexing especially Sam as yanked the laptop closer. Starting to scan the written police report once more, more carefully, her eyebrows retreating into a deep, severe frown. The guys gawked at her in confusion, surprised by her so intense reaction and glanced at each other from time to time, until their wondering eyes always found Lauren again when she read the report in silence. Seeing images of the bruises found on the bodies. Spectrum of emotions displayed on her face when she skimmed through the report over and over again, until it was soon taken over by taunt expression. Her gaze rose, that same dark look in her eyes the brothers had witnessed before.

"Lauren?" Sam called, a bit worried, examining his cousin's serious profile.

"Let's go", she instantly urged as a reply, standing in a blink of an eye, her dark eyebrows truly wrinkled together into one line. The guys looked once more baffled.

"Come again?" Dean asked in turn, looking up to her with lifted eyebrows himself, as clumsily made way to the girl who was hurrying out of the booth they sat at.

"I said let's go! We can make it there before noon if we hurry", Lauren retorted even more intensely, directing a quick look from the corner of her eye to the brothers, until was already gone. Flouncing across the diner to the door, gathering other wondering gazes as well besides her cousins' as rushed out of it. And soon Dean and Sam saw her lean figure march straight toward their motel room.

Still standing Dean turned to face his brother, having a weird look on his face. "What's with her now? Does she have some complex to go all avenger on the rest of her kind, just because she hates herself?" he questioned, exchanging a look with Sam, until both of them turned to stare at Lauren's faraway retreating back. Sam sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't know", he admitted, pushing the screen of the laptop shut until rose from his seat, Dean throwing some money on the table before the pair of them as well exited the diner. Only to have their already packed traveling bags tossed on their faces after stepping into their motel room, locking gazes with as agitated Lauren as ever.

"Let's go", she repeated, not giving the guys much time to reply or react for that manner, as herself grabbed her own bag and strode outside to the parking lot. Dean was close to make an eye-roll, when he and Sam weren't left any other choice but to follow her lead.

"What's going on with her?" he asked from himself again, bored, but then followed Sam out of the room, closing it. Lauren was already sitting on her place at the backseat of the car, now sending her cousins annoyed look.

"Are you coming, or do I have to go by myself?" she demanded impatiently from the window, folding her arms. Her fingers started to tap her forearm furiously, as another sign of her great, unexplained impatience. Dean only closed his eyes briefly for boredom, until he then realized his keys to have gone missing while dug is pockets. Not finding them. He got confused for a moment, until then realized to be staring at the culprit straight into the eyes.

"You didn't…" he started, his now sharp gaze drilling into Lauren. And indeed she now dropped the car keys from her palm, waving them back and forth before his eyes, tiny smile twitching her lips. She always enjoyed a chance to annoy her cousin, was it only just a minor thing like pickpocketing the keys to his baby from him. But of course, to Dean such an act meant much more than met the eye. Clearly he got antagonized.

"You dare to drive my baby without permission!" he snapped, once again starting to approach the car with long strides after a moment of wonder about the key's disappearance, where Lauren only shrugged unconcernedly.

"Relax Dean, I'm not going to steal your car. That is the one heck of a big nail I don't want to have hacked to my coffin. Besides, who'd even want to be seen driving this thing… It's like ancient, and in serious need of updating…" she calmed him, but immediately once again caused Dean's anger level to rise as she next pointed toward the old gazette tape player, lifting her brows. "This is the 21st century Dean. Wouldn't it be a time for you to start to live it, and leave this crap to those who lived when these were used?"

Sam happened to look at Dean, seeing he was once again clearly pissed. No one ever yipped the car. No one, even Sam knew that. But like always, Lauren simply cared not, even it was of course clear to her too how important this car was to her older cousin. She just occasionally wanted to see Dean to be enraged by her snarky comments, and like often, also this time succeeded.

But surprisingly Dean said nothing as dismissed Lauren, catching the keys she now returned to him, and walked straight to the driver's side. Going into the car. Though in his mind, as he started the engine when Sam had also taken his place in the car and shut the door, Dean actually was considering the possibility to knife Lauren if she ever spoke so disrespectively about his baby again. And obviously satisfied by her achievement Lauren now smiled wider, before her thoughts then returned back to the case they would now go to solve. She leant to the seat and stared outside the window, falling into her gloomy reverie.

So he was in New York? Well he'd better be. Because when she would find him, he would earn her once lost love back the hard way. _She would kill him_. For everything he'd made her go through before this day, when they would finally meet again. After years of separation, they would finally meet again. And thinking this, Lauren then made a dark smile, after all slipping to recall his cursed features in her mind. His voice when it had said her name that cursed night when her family had died. And when she as well, had died.

But all of a sudden loud sound of rock music cut her train of thought. Her now seeing from the corner of her eye as Dean started to tap the steering wheel in the beat of the song, totally into it. Lauren sighed as examined both of her cousins a little while. To whom she had not planned to run into, and with whom she hadn't planned to round the States in search of supernatural. And if she was honest, she actually regretted that she hadn't in fact taken Dean's car and left to New York by herself. Because she didn't like the fact that both Sam and Dean could now learn something of her she rather wished to hide. Her past, and how she because of her own stupidity and credulous nature had become like this. A vampire.


End file.
